The head of the Central election Commission of the Russian Federation Ella Pamfilova

© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. The Chairman of the CEC of the Russian Federation Ella Pamfilova hopes that the CEC will support the new wording of the question, which the Communist party is going to put to a referendum against increasing the retirement age.

At the Commission meeting on Wednesday, she said that yesterday met with representatives of the Communist party on the question of the organization of the all-Russian referendum. According to Pamfilova, was reached a preliminary agreement and found “the optimal form of the question.”

The Communist party should begin the procedure of initiating a referendum against raising the retirement age is not in Moscow, where there was another initiative group with similar question wording, and in another region. This was stated by the Chairman of the CEC of the Russian Federation Ella Pamfilova.

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How and who will concern raising the retirement age in Russia

“I hope no obstacles will be. And if the Communist party in any of the regions of Russia will hold the initiative group, hope, at the CEC session, my colleagues, as we discussed it, the decision will support it,” – said Pamfilova.

She added that the Communist party should begin the procedure of initiating a referendum against raising the retirement age is not in Moscow, where there was another initiative group with similar question wording, and in another region. “If in Moscow someone said, they need not to focus on Moscow and to go to another region,” she told reporters.

“We have 85 regions. They can work in advance in any. In Moscow [notice to the other subgroups of the action] is filed, and other [regions] they have a wide open opportunity,” – said Pamfilova.

According to the CEC head, the law prohibits the registration of two initiative groups of referendum with the same questions in the same region. In different subjects of initiating a referendum on the same issue may develop in parallel by different groups.

“If they [the Communists] in some region first served, similarly the Commission will be sent to us, we’ll see staverden, and then they can do all the others [regions] to work,” – said Pamfilova.

She added that she does not know who initiated the referendum against the pension age increase, in addition to the Communist party.

Two initiatives of the referendum

Earlier, the Communist party held in Moscow the first meeting of the initiative group to hold nationwide referendum against raising the retirement age. The Communists proposed to the referendum question: “do you Agree that in Russia the age of eligibility for appointment of insurance old-age pension must not be increased?”. The CEC considered that the wording of the question allows for multiple interpretations and may lead people astray, and the Moscow city election Commission denied registration to subgroups on the basis of this conclusion.

As Chairman of Mothersurname Valentin Gorbunov, July 27, the Commission received the notice of the August 3 meeting a new initiative of the subgroup. She offers to submit to a referendum question: “are You that the age established by the legislation of the Russian Federation on pension provision as at 1 July 2018, at which there is a right to pension for old age, not changed?”. The Communist party declared that have no relation to the new group. After consultations with the CEC President by Ella Pamfilova, the Communists decided to reformulate the question and re-start the procedure of initiating a referendum.

See also

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Topilin: the elderly should be integrated into society

Volodin: the issue of changes to the pension system cannot be resolved at the meetings

Matvienko: the situation of the 1990-ies with the non-payment of pensions will not be repeated

Two parallel initiatives of the referendum on the same issue can’t be resolved. According to the Federal constitutional law “On referendum of the Russian Federation”, after the registration of regional sub-group “other regional sub-group approved at its meeting the same meaning or content of the wording of the question (questions) of a referendum may not be registered in the same Commission before the end of the procedures for the implementation of the initiative of holding a referendum on this issue”.

The rules of the organization of the referendum

For the organization of a nationwide referendum is required to hold a meeting of the initial subgroups of no less than 100 people, more than half of subjects of the Russian Federation (i.e. at least 43). The electoral Commission, which received the first application for registration of a subgroup, shall send to the CEC the wording of the proposed question to check for compliance with the requirements of the law. CEC approves the conclusion on whether a law, the question of the referendum, on the basis of the regional electoral Commission registers the initiative subgroup or failure to maintain her registration.

After successful registration of the subgroups in 43 regions held a meeting of their commissioners, subsequently, the Commission served a petition for registration of initiative group on referendum. In the case of a positive decision within 45 days of the initiative group must collect at least 2 million signatures, one region may have no more than 50 thousand autographs.

A national referendum was not carried out in Russia since 1993.

Pension bill

The proposed government bill on changes in the pension system, suggesting that raising the age of retirement for a long transition period to 65 years for men and 63 years for women, passed the first reading in the state Duma on July 19. After approval of a large-scale discussion of the initiative will continue, proposals for revision of the draft law will be collected and recorded in the form of amendments to the second reading, which will take place in the fall. The deadline for submitting amendments is extended from August 18 to September 24.

Tools that will increase the retirement age, will be directed on increase of incomes of pensioners, assure of the government. The adoption of the document will allow in 2019 to ensure the growth of pensions to pensioners by an average of 1 thousand rubles.